Referee Huw Ware wants to inspire more gay people to get involved in darts

Darts referee Huw Ware wants to inspire more gay people to be involved in the sport.

Ware became the first openly gay man to referee a World Championship final when he took charge of the 2025 showpiece between Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen.

Darts has been one of the most inclusive sports over the past few years, giving opportunities to women and transgender players in major competitions, but with it still being drenched in an alcohol-fuelled lad culture, it might not seem the most welcoming environment.

But Ware wants to use his position of visibility to encourage others.

“I want to go up there as a darts referee who is a very good referee, and that’s the most important thing in some respects,” he told the Press Association.

“But then I can show the world that gay people belong in sport. If there is any gay boy or gay girl out there who may love darts but doesn’t want to get into it because they think it’s not going to be a sport that’s going to be welcoming and inclusive to them, then just me being up there shows to them that it is.

“I don’t consider myself a leader when it comes to LGBT+ rights, but what I can offer is visibility. And just by getting up there and being myself and doing my job as an openly gay man, that’s probably the most important thing that I can offer.

“So it does mean a lot, it’s something I’m very proud of. And I’m very proud and I’m very lucky to have the support of the hierarchy above me as I do.

“There were issues when I first started, I suppose. And it’s not 100 per cent perfect now, but it’s a lot better than what it used to be, and that’s largely down in thanks to the PDC and all the work that they’ve put in to the point now where I think the sport is probably one of the most inclusive out there and of all the sports.

“And that probably goes against some of the old stereotypes that people have about darts actually.”

Transgender player Noa-Lynn van Leuven has been given opportunities by the PDC, but it has not been easy for her as she receives heavy criticism from fellow players and online abuse.

“What I would like to remind people is that Noa-Lynn is a human being,” Ware added. “She did not choose to be this way. She is who she is, just like every other transgender person that has ever existed through the history of man, through the history of time, this is not a brand new phenomenon.”

Ware has taken on a senior position following the retirements of Russ Bray and George Noble, meaning he has had an up-close view of Littler’s rise to prominence.

The 32-year-old, whose journey into darts began with a work experience placement at dartboard manufacturer Winmau, admits he has been caught out by Littler’s extravagant combinations.

“When Luke first came along because he has unorthodox ways of going, he used to throw me every match,” he admitted.

“And that still can happen, but I think I’ve got the hang of him now. When he first came along he used to throw me, but then it doesn’t matter who it is up there, you can always be thrown by something, even throw yourself sometimes, let alone the player.

“So that’s part of the challenge.

“What’s undeniable to me is his talents and his ability.

“But the way he conducts himself, with his temperament and his psychology, and how that allows him to bring the best out of himself at 19 years of age, with the whole world’s attention on him, that’s what I admire most about him.”

:: Huw Ware is an ambassador for the world’s leading darts manufacturer, Winmau, an official partner of the PDC